Vanishing Acts
by LostinOblivion
Summary: What do you do when you wake up one ordinary morning, and find your child's crib empty? How do you function when it feels like your world is crashing down around you?
1. Chapter 1

Matt blinked his eyes open to the sun leaking in through a slender opening in the curtains. He could feel Emily's around still wrapped around his stomach, her head nuzzled behind his, breath tickling his neck. The world was quiet and still, the clock gave him five minutes until the alarm went off. He gently pulled himself out of the bed, careful not to wake Emily yet. She stirred briefly, and rolled forward a little, a tired moan escaping her mouth before she fell back into sleep. He let his eyes wander along her nude form, at least the top half, not covered by the sheets, and bent to place a kiss on her head.

He pulled on his boxers and t-shirt, discarded last night, and turned the alarm off before it could scream at him. He'd give Emily a little while longer, while he checked on Hanna and took a shower. Their little girl would turn two in only a few days, and they were throwing a small party with family and friends over the weekend. Hanna had been a surprise to them, unplanned, and if they were honest with themselves, unwanted...at least at first. But, by the time Emily had her, they'd become acclimated to the idea. They were scared to death, and still unsure, but it was love at first sight when the doctors handed her to them. Matt knew he'd only fallen that hard once before--with Emily.

Hanna was their baby. These two years had gone by quickly for them, and though times could be hard, they loved their little girl more than anything. The little redhead was born with hair so light, Matt jokingly asked Emily if there was something she hadn't told him. Emily, of course, had glared at him. Hanna's brown eyes were all the proof they needed to see she was her father's little girl, they were the same dark chocolate shade as his. Matt's favorite thing though, was that Hanna had inherited her mother's adorable, subtle dimples, and her determination.

He pushed her door, opening the tiny crack enough to see in. Unable to see her head from his vantage point, he moved quietly into the room, peering into the crib. She wasn't there. He pulled the blankets up, turned a frantic circle around the room, but didn't see Hanna anywhere. She couldn't have gotten out of her crib by herself, but still he searched through the apartment, looking everywhere, even where common sense told him was useless. He went to their bedroom, thinking maybe Emily had heard her cry during the night. But, it was only Emily, still sound asleep.

Sweating now, his heart pounding, he ran back to the nursery. There staring him in the face was a fluttering curtain, twisting and flying with the breeze. His stomach hit the floor, and he rushed to the window. Just below the latch on the bottom window was a perfectly cut circular hole, the piece of glass removed. Resisting the urge to collapse on the floor in tears, Matt rushed back to the bedroom. He sat down beside Emily, and watched her breathe steadily in and out. He had to wake her and tell her, they had to call the police, but oh god, that would make it real.

Emily sensed something amiss, and woke herself up. She blinked in the light, and leaned up slightly toward Matt, noticing the expression on his face. Something was wrong.

"Matt?" Her sleepy voice brought him out of his shock. "What's wrong?"

"Hanna...Hanna's gone." He reached for the phone, dialing 911. The sooner they reported it, the sooner they would start looking for her.

"What do you mean, she's two, where could she have gone?" Emily's sleepy mind hadn't yet processed what he was really saying.

"Hello yes, my daughter--my daughter is missing." He watched Emily's eyes widen with fright, just before she leapt from the bed. She raced to the nursery, not bothering with clothes.

"...she's almost two, a few days. There was a hole cut in the glass of her bedroom window." Emily returned to Matt's shaky voice relaying the information to the 911 operator. She hadn't notice the window or the cut glass. Trembling she slid down to the floor, against the bed where Matt was sitting. He finished and dialed another number.

"Cheryl..." His voice cracked as he spoke to their friend and boss.

"Someone took Hanna." He couldn't say kidnapped, couldn't bring himself to do it. His baby was gone, stolen in the night from her bed, eight stories into the sky. He knew what the cops would determine--someone that targeted Hanna, wanted her specifically. Someone who would either call with a ransom demand, or never call, and either keep his baby for themselves, or abuse her and kill her. Since they weren't wealthy, he also knew, the latter was much more likely.

"I don't know, Cheryl. The police are on their way." He hung up, and slid down beside Emily, pulling a blanket with him and draping it over her. She fell against him, grabbing his shirt in her fists, clinging to him, tears sliding down her cheeks as her heart slowly began to crack. He leaned his head against hers, and began to weep for his baby.

* * *

An hour and a half later LAPD uniforms were crawling through the building, crime scene techs were combing their apartment, detectives were still questioning Matt and Emily. Others were helping canvass the building, and the FBI's own Missing Persons unit was making it known that they were going to be involved. Serious men in dark suits were everywhere, with an occasional woman in slacks and blouse thrown in here and there. Cheryl, Frank, Duff, and Lia were all in separate rooms, or rather areas of the apartment, also being questioned, after having run to the aid of their friends. Aside from a quick hug, they hadn't be able to get near the couple, who bother wore red-rimmed eyes.

Three officers finally arrived with their panting canine partners, and were set to work through the apartment. It was no use, the little girl's smell was all over the apartment, but she wasn't there. Matt didn't even flinch at the sight of the beasts, he was too distraught. They took Hanna's favorite stuffed toy, a little dog Cheryl got her as a gift, teasing Matt that she'd never get a real one. The furry investigators inhaled the girl's scent off the toy, and off they went out of the building.

Finally, the detectives finished with Matt and Emily, and approached Cheryl. They were going to need access to every file of every psycho the couple had ever communicated with. They also wanted to interview their coworkers. Cheryl quickly granted both requests, insisting it didn't matter, they all just wanted Hanna back home safely. They were going to track Allison Lehman through her PO, and Charlie Flannery was one of their own, both would be questioned. Matt and Emily insisted their siblings were involved. Matt and Charlie didn't get along, but certainly not enough for a kidnapping. And, Emily and Allison, well there was unquestionably an epic amount of animosity there, but Ally wouldn't do this, she wasn't a monster.

By noon, every major news network was carrying Hanna's beautiful face, innocence radiating out of her brown eyes. There was a plea delivered via the talking heads, and a $15,000 reward was offered. The cops had put it at $10,000 but Matt and Emily quickly told them they'd throw in some of their money, whatever they needed to do to find Hanna. By 2:00, the local news stations carried the same broadcast, and Duff had taken Lia back to the CNU, so she could make up a Missing poster. The cops had also finally left, having collected all the statements and evidence they could find. The dogs had long since been taken home, having found no trace of the girl beyond a few yards from the building. Except the fire escape, it was clear Hanna's abductor had taken her down the fire escape outside her window.

Volunteers from the LA FBI field office showed up in record numbers to take stacks of Lia's poster and begin papering LA. They began in the early evening, when they'd all gotten through work, and continued well into the night. Most of the CNU and HRT showed up, the only ones who didn't were those sick or not in the city. Matt and Emily joined after making a public statement, plea rather, for the safe return of their baby girl. They also upped the reward to $20,000. It was shown live on the six o'clock news, then as a recording at ten, eleven and any other news break networks might have.

There was no call, no computer altered voice issuing demands in exchange for returning Hanna. There was no sign that whoever had her intended to call, and as of yet, there was no trace to follow. Hanna was gone, spirited away in the night, while her parents slept silently in the next room. Her parents, who were drowning in guilt for not knowing, not sensing their baby was being stolen.

They stayed on the streets until two-thirty that morning, sheer exhaustion pulling them all in for the night. Hanna's sweet, dimpled grin was plastered on half the telephone polls in the city, and every storefront that would consent, which was most they went into. A small army of reporters followed Matt and Emily as they ignored them, and went about putting up the posters. On occasion someone would pop out of a house, take Emily's hands, or clasp Matt on the shoulder, and promise to pray for Hanna's safe return.

They still returned to their apartment and an empty nursery, still felt her absence weigh like so many irons chains strapped around their bodies. Their posse of four followed them, feeling utterly useless, but needing to be near their friends. Matt and Emily bid their friends good night, and retreated to the bedroom, while the small group debated what to do next. It wasn't long before the sounds of soft sobs began drifting from the bedroom. Cheryl grabbed a spare blanket, and fell onto the loveseat, Frank mimicked her actions with the couch. Just in case someone did call with a ransom demand, just in case Matt and Emily needed them, and because they simply didn't know what else to do to help. Lia was staring off to the bedroom, unable to remove her eyes at the sounds of the sobbing, but Duff pulled her away. They left for the night, they would return early tomorrow to continue the search, and stay the next night.

And, Hanna was out there somewhere. Maybe feeling alone and frightened without her mommy and daddy, maybe already hurt and traumatized. Or maybe, Hanna wasn't any of those things, maybe little Hanna was already giggling with the angels. Maybe she was with the other little children who'd disappeared, and had been sent to a much safer place where their abductors could no longer hurt them.

* * *

_The forthcoming chapters should have more dialogue, and will be longer, provided people are interested, of course. Thank you very much for reading, and please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

Matt and Emily didn't go into work the next two days, but continued hoping, waiting, and trying to find their young daughter. The cops diligently studied everything they'd collected, increased the reward, interrogated everyone they could think of, and still they were no closer to finding Hanna. Not a single citing on the tipline could be verified as legtimate, and it began to look more and more like Hanna was dead.

News anchors and talk shows hosts speculated on the case, commenting on just how different it was from usual ones. It was interesting, they insisted, because the parents were some quiet suburban family not knowing a a child rapist lived down the street, they were poor inner-city folks whose apartment was in the middle of a warzone, and they weren't weathly or politicans whose child might be a target. They were FBI agents, unmarried still, crisis negotiators, who'd spoken to kidnappers on the phone, and saved other people's children.

They were public servants, who'd made headlines for the good work they'd done, for being the best at what they did. They couldn't resist bringing up the past, and parading the Tobin Jensen fiasco from years ago. This wasn't the first time the mother of the child had been a target, and of course this launched speculation as to if they should have arranged special security measures to protect Hanna. But most unnerving seemed to be was that they were FBI, they carried guns and badges, and protected everyone else, but they couldn't protect what was most precious to them. 

Then Saturday, Hanna's birthday, came and went without the planned party, and still with silence from the kidnapper. Matt and Emily weren't sleeping, and barely eating, understandable, but still worrisome for their friends. The foursome was constantly around, trying to help, trying to keep them from falling apart. Especially Emily, who walked around with her arms wrapped around her stomach, as if her missing child had left an ache in her womb.

The negotiators didn't go to work the following Monday or Tuesday either. They were unable to think of anything but their missing daughter, and so in no shape to negotiate with anyone. The national news evern carried the little girls picture, both on TV, and widely cicrulated papers. The press wasn't yet tired of the case, or tired of speculating about Hanna's fate. Tuesday night found the six friends gathered together, feeling completely run out of options, and unable to contemplate that sometime during this night, it would be exactly one week since Hanna was taken.

"That was Detective Henley, they want us to come back in for questioning tomorrow. I told them we'd be there first thing in the morning." Matt turned to Emily, hanging up the phone.

"Of course. Do they have a lead?" That was more than Emily had said all week.

"He said it was just routine follow-up." Matt shrugged, and resumed his place beside her. They'd barely been out of each other's presence all week, they were drawing strength from each other.

"You don't think they're going to stop investigating, do you?" Emily was now sitting straight up, staring at him alarmed.

"They can't. She's still out there." Emily studied him, saying with her eyes what they both knew to be true. They could stop, it had been a week, the detectives have other cases.

"Uh guys, come over here," Lia waved them over to the window she'd been near, staring into the dark LA night.

All five of her companions came over to either of the two windows in the living room, and looked out. They saw people, a huge mass of at least a hundred, walking toward their apartment complex, with what appeared to be lights in their hands. They were too high up to see much, but they did see a news van pull up and start shooting. Frank turned on the corresponding channel, and they all turned to the TV, just as the six o'clock news was interrupted by the breaking story.

"Thanks Kathy. Well, I'm here outside the apartment building where little Hanna Flannery was abducted from her bedroom. For those of you who haven't heard, Hanna, who just turned two this past Saturday, was stolen from her crib eigth stories up a week ago tonight. Police are still looking for her, but have no promising leads so far as we know.

Tonight, however, it looks as if the neighborhood has come out to support Hanna's parents, Matt Flannery and Emily Lehman on this difficult night. I have to tell you, Kathy, there must be at least a hundred people out here, all with candles and pictures of Hanna. They've stopped outside the building, and as you can see are bowing their heads, we assume in prayer." The on camera reporter annouced, while they cut to footage of the crowd, who held the posters of Hanna in their hands.

"That's wonderful Tony, all those people going out there. Tell me though, do you see Hanna's parents?" The screen split momentarily, so the anchor could comment.

"No, not yet. They've been a little camera shy this past week, but who could blame them after this ordeal? Oh, wait someone is coming out of the building. Yes, it seems Matt Flannery and Emily Lehman, little Hanna Flannery's parents, for those of you just tuning in, have stepped outside to observe this vigil..."

Matt walked out first, Emily behind him, trying to keep her face away from the camera. Other news vans were pulling up as they walked up, hurrying to get their camera's rolling. Matt and Emily just watched, overwhelmed by these people who'd come to pray for their baby girl. Their four friends came out and stood behind them, moved themselves, by the impromptu vigil. A young girl walked silently up to Matt and Emily and handed them each a candle, before returning to the crowd. A few other people copied her, delivering candles to Cheryl, Frank, Lia, and Duff.

As if by some unseen que, the sixlet bowed their heads toward the candle flames, begining the next prayer. Matt and Emily weren't sure what they believed or if they did, but nevertheless, they whispered words inside their heads of hope for their little girl. Emily leaned heavily into Matt, who held his arm around the only thing holding him together at that point.

They all stayed out a while longer, accepting the kindness of these strangers, before thanking them for caring about Hanna, and retreating inside, away from the cameras and reporters that had taken to chasing them over the last week. After hugs and promises that they'd call when they finished with the police, Matt and Emily said goodbye to their friends. The whole week had been painful and emotionally draining, soul draining really, and the chances of finding Hanna alive had dropped to just below slim, and just above none.

Emily lay that night with Matt curled tightly around her body, awake and alert, staring off into space. Her hand drifted to her abdomen, resting over her womb, where she'd held Hanna safe and protected for nine months. A mother knows when her child is missing, she feels it, like a pit of ache in the very spot the child came into being. Any child she births is forever a part of her, in more than an emotional connection.

Matt laid his hand on top of hers, and drew her closer. He knew what she'd been feeling all week, knew Hanna's kidnapping was affecting her differently. He could sense it in her, like any loving mate can sense the subtle changes in his companion. For Matt, the pain was just as primative--he was supposed to protect his daughter--he'd failed. And, now he wanted to find who ever took her, and perform unspeakable cruelties on him or her.

* * *

_So sorry this ones so short, the rest will be longer, I promise! Thanks for reading, and a big thank you to my reviewers!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Quick warning, this one gets kind of heavy and unpleasant. Thank you for reading, and please review!_

* * *

"So, Matt the reason we asked you and Emily back in, was because through interviews, some new information has come to light, that we need to discuss with you." Detective Mason explained, loosening the knot in his tie.

"What kind of information?" Matt's pulse jumped, did they have a lead? Was Hanna still alive?

"Information like you and Emily weren't happy when you found out she was pregnant, that you didn't want Hanna. That kind of information." Mason studied the man in front of him, he couldn't deny the couple seemed devastated when Hanna disappeared, but one thing he'd learned as a cop was that people could lie damn well.

Matt nodded, he'd been expecting the cops to consider them suspects at some point, the parents are always the first ones, especially the mother. Then he thought of Emily being questioned down the hall, if they were accusing her of hurting Hanna, it would kill her.

"Emily and I were very unhappy at the thought of a baby, we didn't want to be parents, we didn't want a child. Then she was born, and everything just changed when we saw her. So, if you think we don't love Hanna, you're wrong. If you think we'd hurt her, you don't know us. She's our baby, we'd do anything to protect her." There were two things Matt Flannery couldn't be challenged on, that he loved Hanna, and that he loved Emily.

Mason studied him silently awhile, trying to assess how much of his monologue was truth. He was inclined to believe him, it wasn't really Matt they were looking at as a suspect.

"So, tell me why you and Emily haven't gotten married yet...I noticed the diamond on her finger." Mason kept an easy, almost pleasant tone, trying to keep Matt at ease.

"We never got around to it. We didn't want to just get married for the baby, but for each other. Then we got busy with Hanna, and work, and haven't really thought about it in a while. A couple weeks ago, we decided we'd wait until Hanna was potty trained, so we could leave her with friends a couple weeks while we honeymooned." They mentioned it to Cheryl, who was already excited at the thought of having her for two weeks.

Mason nodded. "So, how long have you known Emily?"

"Uh, let's see nearly six, and we've been together five." Wow, had it really been that long? It didn't feel like it.

"So, you know her pretty well then?"

"I've been sharing a bed with her for five years, we have a child together, what do you think?" Hell, he knew the shapes made by the freckles along the back of her neck.

"So, tell me about her." Mason leaned back in his hair, apparently ready to spend the whole day listening to Matt talk about Emily. Matt wondered if Mason considered for a moment that Matt could actually do that.

"What do you want to know?" Matt was a cop, he'd used these same techniques, he knew what they were getting at.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about her really, and you're the expert, so share your expertise."

"Are you looking for what, pedigree?"

"No, we know all that, I want to know what we don't know, day to day behavior." Mason wanted to smack Matt, and get him to talk, but he remained calm, spoke patiently.

"Uh okay, she's smart, sometimes to the point where it makes my head spin, but it's incredibly sexy. She's caring, even when it's the psycho with the gun, it bothers her a lot when someone dies during a negotiation. She has this habit of biting her lip when she's thinking, and then _I _can't think straight. She was scared to death at first with Hanna, I could see it in her eyes when she held her, but motherhood kind of grew on her. She's very protective of Hanna, maybe too much, but I can't really judge her on that, I'm the same way. She can go from FBI to Mom in seconds, which is great, because we have Hanna at daycare during the week, so we don't see her most of the day...uh, I'm not sure what else you're looking for." Matt shifted somewhat nervously, he wasn't used to describing Emily. There were so many reasons why he loved her, but he wasn't comfortable sharing them with a stranger.

"So, you'd say working is important to Emily?"

"Yeah, she loves what she does. I came from home one night, when Emily was still on maternity leave, I think Hanna was about a month old. She held Hanna in one arm letting her suckle, and flipped through a case file on the other, studying it so she could right a profile. When she wasn't turning a page, she was using her other hand to stroke Hanna's head. Both hats come naturally to her, and she can balance them just fine." Matt knew what he was trying to get at, and he intended to squash it before he could.

"Matt, why do you say Emily is over-protective of Hanna?"

"Because she loves out daughter more than anything in this world. Emily's sister was abused when she was a child, Emily watched it destroy her family. So, maybe she's a little too nervous of strangers paying attention to her, and maybe a little more upset than she needs to be when Hanna gets hurt or sick. But, I told you, I'm the same way, nearly had a panic attack the first time Hanna had a fever." He'd just nip that one in the bud too.

"Matt, have you ever heard the name Andrea Yates?"

"Yes, she killed her kids, and if you are about to compare her to Emily, you're out of your mind." Matt's hand twitched to fists beneath the table, this guy was treading thin ice.

"She said she killed her kids to save them. Over-protective, wouldn't you say?"

"Yates was a religious nut, she thought her kids were going to burn in hell," Matt spit angrily.

"She was still trying to protect them, save them. And, she isn't the only mother to kill her children and use that excuse." His voice never changed pitch, never got accusatory, simply conversational.

"Listen, Emily didn't hurt Hanna, and you're wasting my daughter's time accusing her." He had had just about enough of this.

"Okay, Matt, could you wait here awhile?" He didn't wait for an answer, just left.Mason disappeared behind the glass, where his captain and ADA Ericson stood. He held his empty hands up to them.

"That man is smitten, and he's a cop, he's not going to say anything about her."

"Maybe not, but it's the mother. It's always the mother." Ericson crossed his arms, he'd bet his paycheck Emily Lehman killed her child, and statistics backed him up.

* * *

"So, Emily, do you wake in the night often to check on Hanna?" Detective Sturgeon, a woman, was questioning her, using the same level tone Mason had used with Matt.

"Most of the time, Matt or I will have to get up to change her diaper. But, recently she hasn't been going until the morning, so we don't generally check on her unless we wake up. We keep the baby monitor turned on beside the bed in case she needs us." Emily hadn't cried yet today, she considered that progress.

"You have a baby monitor, and you didn't hear someone break in the nursery and take your child?" This was one of the details that had them looking at the parents.

"Yeah, that upset me. I checked that morning, the batteries died in the middle of the night." That was one of the many reasons Emily had been blaming herself the last week.

"Convenient...you know, for the guy who took her." Sturgeon tested her.

"Detective Sturgeon, I'm not dense, I know what you're implying, and it isn't true. We'd give anything to have our daughter back, we didn't hurt her." Emily's initial instinct was to scream and rant at the cop that she loved her child more than anything, but then they'd just think she was deranged, and have more reason to accuse her.

"Alright then, I'll be blunt with you, Emily. Tell me about your relationship with your daughter?"

"She's my daughter, I love her, I'd do anything for her." What exactly was she expecting to hear, Hanna was two, it's not as if they could argue about boyfriends?

"That's interesting to me, because I heard that you weren't very happy when you got pregnant, that you were in fact really upset. That you didn't want a child. You didn't want Hanna, did you?" Her easy going tone had quickly become harsh, bordering on accusatory.

"No, I didn't want a baby. But, when you feel her move inside you, see her on that screen, when you hold her for the first time, when I saw her looking at me with Matt's eyes, I cried. She's the best mistake I ever made, the only one that makes sense. So, no Detective, I didn't want a baby at first, but that changed, so drastically, so quickly." Emily was still holding her own, barely. They were wasting time, Hanna's time.

There was a knock at the door, and Sturgeon got up and opened the door. She whispered quickly with someone, returning in minutes with a photo.

"You want to tell me about this?" She held it out for Emily, it was the photo of Oliver Marsh, printed from a computer, and four years old now.

"High-risk suicide I talked off a ledge was pissed at me for convincing him not to kill himself. He abducted this boy, and sent this picture to a television network. We got the boy back alive, the guy is long dead, and this has nothing to do with Hanna," Emily insisted.

"Okay, tell me about your sister."

"What about her?"

"She was abused when she was a child wasn't she?" Sturgeon was back to the calm, level tone.

"Yes, a neighbor raped her--what does this all have to do with finding my daughter?" Emily was growing upset, angry that they were wasting their time.

"She's back in federal prison isn't she, on another distribution charge?" Sturgeon struggled to keep her voice level, this woman had a hell of a history, god only knows what it did to her head.

"Yeah, that's what I heard."

"You wanted to protect Hanna from that, didn't you? The kind of people who hurt your sister, who abducted this boy?" Her voice came out sympathetic, but her eyes betrayed her.

"Of course, I want to protect my daughter." What was she getting at?

"That's what you were trying to do wasn't it? You were just trying to save her from the monsters that seem to be all around us. She's in a better place now, isn't she, Emily?" She'd taken hold of Emily's hands as she spoke, but Emily lurched back, pulling them loose.

"You think I killed Hanna to save her?" Emily asked horrified.

"Did she smile that night when you went to her crib?" Sturgeon pressed, voice sweet, almost melodic.

"I didn't hurt Hanna," Emily insisted.

"Was it difficult for you, looking into her eyes? You said they were Matt's eyes, right?"

"I didn't hurt Hanna."

"Did she know what you were going to do? Did she cry, Emily?" Sturgeon pressed on, sensing she was close to breaking her, seeing Emily's eyes begin to water.

"I didn't hurt Hanna." It became almost a chant now, as Emily brought her hands up to her face, and struggled not to cry, picturing her little girl being taken away.

"How did you do it? Did you smother her?" Emily shook her head miserably, unable to answer verbally.

"Did you put a pillow over her face, Emily? Did she struggle under your hands?" Emily just kept shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. Sturgeon pounded her with questions faster and faster.

"What did you do, Emily? Did you put something in her sippy cup? Did you hold her in your arms as she died? Did you feel the life drain out of her?"

"Emily, when you were killing your baby, when you were looking in her eyes, Matt's eyes, did you think about him, sleeping in the next room? Did you think what it would be like for him to lose his baby girl? Come on Emily, tell me, did you think of him?" She paused her torrent, watching Emily cry.

"Was it difficult to get her body out of the building, she must have felt so light? Did she look like she was asleep, like a little angel?"

"Where did you leave her, Emily? Did you bury her?"

"Or maybe you just tossed her out with the trash? Tell me Emily, what did it feel like tossing your baby out with the trash?"

"You know she's decomposing the longer you keep her hidden. Her pretty little face is blue, and molding over as we speak. Her flesh is already being eaten away, her chubby cheeks, her pinks lips all rotting away, Emily. Maybe the bugs already got her eyes, Matt's eyes--"

"Oh my god, stop!" Emily begged, running to the corner and vomiting, her whole body shaking. Sturgeon gathered her paperwork, and walked quietly and quickly out the door, into the room behind the mirror.

"Don't you think maybe that was a little cruel?" Mason asked uncomfortably.

"If she's innocent, it's horribly cruel. If she's not, it's the least she deserves," Sturgeon answered without an ounce of remorse.

"That may be so, but I don't think I could have gotten a confession to stick after that, any judge would feel sorry for her." ADA Ericson was even a little appalled by it.

"They're decorated FBI, not some trailer trash couple, shouldn't we give them the benefit of a doubt?" Mason wasn't comfortable with this, he didn't see these two as child-killers.

"It's a little late for that. Besides, that they're FBI is all the more reason to investigate them, they don't get special treatment." Ericson was fair, and if one or both of this couple killed a two year-old, they were damn well going to pay like anyone else.

"Maybe we should send the boyfriend into her, she's kind of a wreck," Sturgeon observed.

"Your handiwork, Sturgeon." Mason rolled his eyes, but went out to retrieve Matt. He led the antsy FBI agent into the adjoining interrogation room, and Matt was not happy with what her saw.

"What did you people do to her?" He demanded, rushing over to Emily, who was still against the wall, crying into her hands. Mason didn't answer, he just closed the door, and went back behind the mirror.


	4. Chapter 4

The day after their interrogation, Matt and Emily were trying to reconcile that the police obviously thought their daughter was dead already. Emily hadn't said much after they walked out of the police station, and been swarmed by reporters who already got wind that they were suspects. But, she'd dreamt last night of their baby rotting away just as Detective Sturgeon described. Matt woke up to hear her crying, and she finally told him what the detective said to her. Matt had been angry when he found her crying, telling the cops to contact their lawyer next time, even though they didn't have one. But, now he was furious. They weren't going to be speaking with the police again, but they'd have to find a lawyer.

"Hey Cheryl, I need to ask you a favor." Matt called the only person he could think of for help.

"Anything." She actually meant it too, aside from most illegal activities of course.

"Your brother is a criminal attorney, right?"

"I already spoke to him, after you called me yesterday. Can you and Emily meet him downtown at this office this afternoon?" Cheryl wasn't happy to hear how the LAPD treated them, yesterday, so she begged her brother for a favor. He was the only lawyer she trusted. And, after the tabloids their colleagues had been bringing her, Matt and especially Emily, were going to need him.

"Yeah, just give me the address," Matt sighed with relief. Emily had been fragile enough the last week, and those cops made it worse. He didn't care how it looked, he was going protect the only person he loved left to him. Cheryl rattled off the address, told him to be there at two, Jake had cleared his schedule for them. Then she paused wearily.

"Matt, don't let Emily see the tabloids today."

"They're bad?" The press had already turned on them, so quickly?

"Yeah, it's all lies, but it doesn't matter." People would believe anyway, whether they gave credance to the rags or not, it was out there.

"Thanks for the heads up. Uh, is it bad at work?" There would be gossip of course, but could their colleagues actually believe them capable of hurting Hanna?

"Not in the CNU." Cheryl had made it clear she wouldn't tolerate it. Matt and Emily were their own, had been for years, and they deserved the support of the department.

"Thanks Cheryl, that's really good to know," Matt told her honestly, running a hand through his hair.

"No one here believes you or Emily hurt Hanna, we still believe she can come home." They had to believe that, they couldn't imagine sweet little Hanna dead, it was too hard, even for them.

Matt thanked her again and hung up, retreating to the bedroom, where Emily was still curled under the covers even though the sun had been up for some time. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the drawn curtains as the light seeped the tinest bit through them. He sat down next to her, brushing his hand over her head, picking up her hand gingerly in his, placing a kiss to it. Emily didn't want to get up and face the world, she couldn't find a reason just then.

"Matt?" Her voice was quiet, and heavy with her pain."

Yeah?" He was still holding her hand.

"I want to get my tubes tied, I don't want anymore babies." Even then she sounded as if she might cry. Matt was surprised by her words, they had been tossing the idea around in recent months of having another child. Emily always smiled, and her eyes shown in that way they do.

"Weren't you just telling me you wanted to be pregnant again in a year, you weren't getting any younger?" She'd pointed out her biological clock, and how she was 39, it was ticking fast.

"Things change." She looked away. Matt was trying to understand the sudden change, and then it hit him.

"Em, just because...because Hanna...that doesn't mean if we have another baby this will happen." He couldn't say that Hanna was gone, just couldn't make those words come out of his mouth, not yet.

"But, I can't risk that, Matt. If we have another baby, if I carry it inside me, and hold it when it's born. If I love another baby, and something happens, I can't handle that, I won't be able to handle that." A few tears ran slowly out of her eyes, inching down her cheeks.

"Okay, okay," Matt soothed, pulling her up to him, and holding her against his chest, rocking ever so slightly.

* * *

"Matt, Emily, it's nice to see you again, though I could imagine better circumstances," Jake Carerra smiled tightly at them, gesturing them to the chairs in front of his desk. He'd met them a few times, at birthday parties for his sister and what not, never imagined he'd be defending them. But, his baby sister had insisted up and down they couldn't have hurt their two year-old daughter, that they never would. His sister was a good judge of character. 

"Likewise," Matt greeted, shaking his hand. Emily offered hers, and a tight-lipped attempt at a grin, but said nothing. Jake observed them, formulating his own analysis; he could usually tell quickly if a client was guilty or not.

Emily's eyes still bore the puffiness of days of crying, both looked pale and tired. After they'd sat down, she went almost unconsciously searching for Matt's hand, and he gave it quickly. They seemed to feed off each other's strength. Their eyes showed different things though. Hers were wounded, swimming with pain, tinged with resignation, she'd given up, accepted that her child wasn't coming home. His held the same pain, but it was shadowed by determination, by a fight, protecting his girlfriend gave him what he needed to deal with his loss, gave him something else to focus on.

Of course, none of this said much. Sometimes the husbands and boyfriends of women who'd killed their children loved them dearly, and were terribly defensive. That Emily seemed to accept that her child was gone, didn't necessarily mean she knew the girl was dead, but might point more to the fact that she was a cop, she knew the odds. That they were both in pain could mean they were good actors, that she'd disassociated killing the girl and didn't remember she had, or it could mean that they loved their baby and wanted her back. That they fed off each other, that was interesting, they were equals. Typically women who killed their children were submissive to their spouses.

"So, Cheryl told me the police questioned you as again yesterday, as suspects?" He would have preferred to be there, to see what they were basing their speculation on.

"Yeah, they did." Matt wasn't hiding his hostility.

"And, I understand they were a little rough? Can you two describe to me the questions they asked you and how you answered?" He was patient, and listened attentively to them describe their interrogation, which became difficult for Emily toward the end.

"So, obviously they think Emily killed Hanna, and disposed of her body somewhere. They don't seem to have any evidence though, just speculation, and not very good speculation at that. They've already searched your apartment and found nothing, so we don't have to worry about that. And, they'll need warrants for your cars and offices, and they can't get search warrants without evidence. So, from now on if the police try to contact you in anyway, you give them my name and end the conversation there. I'll call them after we're done here, and let them know I'm representing you, so there's no confusion on their part. So, any questions, concerns?" They were by far, the most docile clients he'd ever had, but he suspected that was the heartbreak of losing your child.

"I didn't kill my baby." Emily's voice was quiet, but strong and determined.

"I didn't say you did, and I'll defend you whether you did or didn't, it doesn't matter." When were his clients going to learn that he didn't care, and would prefer not to know?

"It matters to me that you know I couldn't have hurt Hanna." Emily whipped vigorously at the tears in her eyes.

"Cheryl tells me that you didn't, and I trust my sister's judgment, so I do believe you didn't harm your daughter." He told her what she wanted to hear, though it wasn't the complete truth. Cheryl had excellent judgment of people, but her affection for the couple clouded it now.

Emily nodded, but could see it in his eyes, he wasn't sure she didn't do it. She couldn't make him believe her, so she dropped it, very ready to leave.

"Oh, one other thing before you leave: absolutely no more talking to the press."

"Not a problem," Matt mumbled, taking Emily's hand once they'd gotten up and turned to the door.

* * *

They'd managed to make it out the door and past the crowd of reporters shouting about why they needed an attorney with only a little force. They drove quietly toward the apartment, Emily stopping him about ten minutes away to pick up groceries. They'd needed to go grocery shopping for over a week before Hanna went missing, and it was something ordinary, normal, it could take their minds away for a little while at least. 

They meandered through the shelves like any other couple, picking up and item here and there. Matt walked, holding the basket in one hand, his other arm wrapped around Emily, his hand drifting to her back when she move to grab something, but his arm always going back around her. They found their way into the cereal aisle, and Emily picked up a box of Hanna's favorite, Alphabets with marshmallows. They already had a mostly full box at home, and no Hanna to eat it, but Emily tossed it in the basket anyway. Matt stroked her back, but said nothing.

They made it through the store without incident, and got in the longish express line for twenty items or less. That's when they saw the tabloids, which Matt had forgotten about. His arms instinctively tightened on Emily, as he read the headlines, most accused her. Emily was initially surprised by to see her baby's face, her own, and even Matt's once, on the newspapers. Then she scanned the headlines and felt sick.

"TRAGEDY! Emily's Secret Struggles With Hanna"  
"A Mother's Love...Is DEADLY"  
"HANNA'S DEAD...And Why We Know Emily Did It"  
"CHILD KILLERS...Why the Never Married"

Even Newsweek had a picture of Emily and Hanna together (where they got it was anybody's guess), and an accusatory headline.

"Why do Mothers Kill Their Children? Did this mother actually do it?"

They weren't the only ones reading the headlines either, and people began to recognize them from the covers only a few feet away. They began to stare, some in surprise, others glaring, trying and convicting them after one glance at a tabloid cover. Then the whispering and pointing began, and Emily tried to ignore it, but she could hear it, and feel them glaring. She pulled the keys from Matt's pocket and took off for the car, and Matt could see tears in her eyes as she ran out. Damn it. He wanted to run after her, but instead glared back at the hurtful people, and paid for his groceries. He found Emily in the passenger seat, silent tears on her cheeks.

"Matt…do I seem that much of a monster, that it's that easy to believe I could hurt her?" She turned to him after he'd climbed in the car, and shut his door.

"People are stupid Em, they believe whatever's put in front of their faces. And, they don't know you." He caressed her face, and tucked a red curl behind her ear.

"Do you think she's dead?" It was barely a whisper, choked with tears.

"I can't, I can't imagine her gone." Matt pulled her close, tears stinging his eyes, and flowing down his cheeks.

* * *

_Thanks for reading, and please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

Matt and Emily stayed out of work the rest of that week, finally returning Monday to what essentially amounted to desk duty. Cheryl wasn't about to put them in the field this soon after losing their daughter, they weren't ready yet. They did paperwork, offered analysis for cases sent by local police, and Emily taught her classes. Their partners were put together for the time being so Cheryl wasn't short two teams, just one. She knew she made a good decision when neither complained, ordinarily they would have objected thoroughly, but now they didn't seem to care.

By Wednesday they'd learned to ignore stares and whispers as they came into the building, and walked through the halls. The CNU and HRT were the only places they could go in the building, and not feel like they were being watched. These were the people that knew them, knew Hanna, and knew that they couldn't possibly have hurt her. And, Cheryl and Frank wouldn't stand for any chatter or suggestion otherwise. It was still hard; sometimes they'd leave for the day, and find themselves at Hanna's daycare, so accustomed they were to stopping there after the office.

Emily returned to her cubicle, fresh from a class, sitting silently and grabbing a case file. Her class notice the lackluster tone she taken now in teaching, as if she lost all interest in the subject she was teaching. The case she'd picked up would normally have peaked her interest, a young man on trial after threatening a bus full of people with a gun. LA transportation police talked him down quickly, but wanted to know if should simply be committed or granted a trial. But, her interest even in that was lulling these days. She looked toward Matt, similarly hunched over a file in his cubicle.

"Lehman," she caught the phone ringing on her desk.

"Hello Emily." The voice was digitally distorted, unrecognizable, Emily motioned for Matt, scribbled about a trace quickly on a paper, and passed it to him. He read it, looked up surprised, and ran off to Lia.

"Who is this?" She kept her voice calm and level.

"Do you miss your daughter?" The voice asked.

"Of course I do. Who are you, what do you want?" Matt came back nodding, Lia started a trace.

"Tell me something, how does it feel knowing everybody thinks you murdered your innocent little girl?" The high-pitched distortion taunted. It sounded awful, twisted.

"What do you want?"

He laughed. "You and Matt suffering. I think I got it too."

"Did you kill Hanna?" Her voice cracked as she asked, and Matt stood close beside her. Cheryl had joined them, looking concerned.

"No. She's not dead."

"What?" Emily gasped. She heard him saying something, his mouth away from the phone, so she couldn't make it out.

"Mommy?" A high-pitched little voice asked.

"Hanna?" Emily's hand went to her mouth, as she tried not to cry.

"Mommy! Daddy! Miss you! Home! Home!" Hanna's voice shrieked happily into the phone.

"I know baby, we want you home too. Mommy and Daddy love you!" Emily called back, voice heavy with tears as she began losing the battle.

"Love you Mommy! Mommy? Mom-Mommy! Mom! Mom!" Hanna called, crying as she was dragged away from the phone.

"Hanna? Baby? Hanna!" Emily was crying to as her baby was taken away from her for the second time.

"Do you remember Shirley Higgins?" The voice came back on.

"No, I don't," Emily tried to rack her brain, but couldn't bring the woman to mind.

"I'm going to tell you two more things, Emily. I know a lot more about you and Matt than you know about me. I'm also a negotiator just like the two of you. I know how it works. Don't screw with me!"

"I won't! I won't! Just tell me what you want!"

"You figure it out, I'll call back tomorrow," he hissed.

"No! No, I want-want Hanna back! Tell me now!"

"Fine. You find Shirley's son! You find him, Hanna is yours again. You don't...you'll never find the body!" The phone went dead, and Emily sunk to the floor, hands over her face, heaving with sobs. Matt sunk down beside her, as Lia came running out of the IA room, shaking her head in Cheryl's direction.

"Prepaid cell, he wasn't on long enough." Cheryl nodded, eyes turning to Matt, and Emily, who was sobbing on his shoulder. She could see tears in Matt's eyes too. She looked up again.

"Call the investigating police, I want all their files on this case; the FBI is taking over the case. I'm going to get on the phone with our Missing Persons unit. And find out who Shirley Higgins is!" She didn't wait for Lia to respond, turned and went into her office. Lia hurried off to do as she was told, leaving a room of full of CNU personnel staring in shock and horror at two frightened parents.

* * *

An hour later, Cheryl was in her office going at it with the ASAC of Missing Persons, and the Captain of the LAPD's Missing Persons squad. She wanted the case under the Bureau, the ASAC also wanted it Bureau, but was pissed she went ahead without him. The Captain was pissed because it was their case, and the Bureau had a conflict of interest. The Assistant Director in charge of the LA office was on his way down to mediate, or more likely start screaming too. Matt and Emily were parked in a conference room with a box marked 'Kyle Higgins'. 

They had been the negotiators called in when it looked like Kyle Higgins, eight month-old son of Shirley Higgins had been kidnapped. Shirley was twenty-five, had dropped out of high school, and worked as a low paid secretary at a small business. Kyle was the illegitimate son of her employer, a product of numerous rendezvous in his office. Herman Schiffer was fifty, had been married to his wife for twenty-five years, and had three legitimate children with her. It became clear after investigating, and questioning Shirley and her friends that Kyle wasn't kidnapped. Emily was sent in to interrogate her, and got Shirley to admit Kyle was dead. Though the young woman wouldn't say she did it or where he was, it was clear she was responsible for his disappearance and death.

Shirley also had an older brother who worked as a negotiator in Las Vegas. They were trying to pull Michael Higgins file now, but Vegas was giving them a hard time, he was one of their's after all. That would be Cheryl's next headache, if she ever got through with this one. Temple and Binder were with them, coaxing them to remember everything they could about the five-year old case.

Temple and Binder would handle talking to the kidnapper the next time he called. Also Agents Robins and Cybil were there from Missing Persons, participating in their own proximity. While Temple and Binder talked, they'd search for where Mike Higgins was keeping Hanna; they assumed it was Higgins holding her.

"It was obvious Shirley did it. Kyle was an accident, she wasn't married to the father, and he wanted nothing to do with them. She tried to get him interested in the baby for those eight months he was alive, but Schiffer didn't want him, and didn't care. She went back to sleeping with him, hoping he'd want to marry her, but that didn't work either. He told her days before Kyle disappeared that he couldn't keep up the affair, the baby changed things. Kyle was taken from his crib in the middle of the night, Shirley claimed not to have heard anything, but there was a broken window. She was sent one of his socks three days after he disappeared, which makes no sense, because there was no ransom demand." Matt ran a hand through his hair, trying to ignore the similarities between the two cases.

Hanna was an accident, they weren't married, she was taken from her crib in the middle of the night, and they didn't hear anything.

"And, Emily you got her to say he was dead, but not where he was?" Binder asked her, flipping through the file."Yes, maybe she didn't know." Emily suggested softly, wondering now if she'd assumed the wrong thing about the woman. "I thought you two were sure she killed the baby?" Temple was confused."We were, we are. Em, don't second guess yourself now, she isn't like you, she didn't love or want that baby not without Schiffer." Matt tried to remove the gray that seemed to cover the issue for her. Higgins got what he wanted, Emily was empathizing with a woman, who people believed killed her baby.

Emily sat silently for several moments, while the men around her continued to talk. She was wondering what it took for Shirley Higgins to kill her baby son, she was wondering what it took any mother to kill their child. What did it take to hurt your own child?

She'd had her moments of desperation with Hanna, like all new mothers have. There were nights she would suckle, just wailed on and on, and there was little Matt could do to help. There were days she'd be fed, dry, clean, and recently napped, and would just cry for no reason. The times she wouldn't sleep, fevers, earaches, diarrhea, colic, and diaper rash, all reasons to have her yelling like a banshee. Emily remembered days in the first year, she'd just ended up crying with her, feeling completely overwhelmed, even with Matt. Once or twice she'd gotten so upset, she'd gone to shake Hanna, and hated herself afterward. There were time she'd sat, bouncing hysterical Hanna in her arms, wishing she'd never gotten pregnant. That was another occasion she'd hated herself for.

But, each time she pictured one of these times in her head, and asked herself is she could have done it even then. If she could have hurt Hanna, she had to say no. No matter had bad it got, she couldn't have hurt Hanna. No matter how desperate she felt, once Hanna was here, Emily couldn't see her life without her. But, she wasn't Shirley Higgins.

"Find her," she announced suddenly. "You find me Shirley Higgins, I'll get her to tell me where she left Kyle."

"You're sure you can do that? Are you really up to talking to her?" Temple eyed her wearily, much like the other four men in the room.

"Yes, I can and will do it, just find her for me," she promised. They didn't have time to respond, Cheryl came in the room, four men and a woman behind her. AD Pritchard, ASAC Benton, Captain Tanner, and Detectives Mason and Sturgeon.

"Okay everyone, this is how this is going to work," Cheryl began, looking quite miserable after the meeting. They turned their attention to her eagerly.

"Agents Temple and Binder will handle all contact with the kidnapper. They are the only ones trained for it, there is no negotiation in that. Agents Robins and Cybil will work with Detectives Mason and Sturgeon on trying to locate the kidnapper and where he's holding Hanna. Headquarters will be in the CNU, you will all be reporting to me. Agent Robins and Sybil, obviously you are free to conduct this search however you see fit. Agents Flannery and Lehman will be available to any of you whenever you need them. But, Detectives let me issue a warning, if you upset my agents again, you will not be welcome back in here, and we will officially move this case to sole FBI custody. Are we clear?" She was not happy the two cops were going anywhere near Emily, but she hadn't been the one finalizing the agreement.

The detectives nodded, not pleased about handing their case over, or being treated hostilely by the FBI.

"Okay, please resume what you were doing. And, Lia is preparing a tape of the recording for you to analyze. Agents Flannery and Lehman, please find me while they are working on the tape." Nobody adding instruction to Cheryl's schpeal, not even the AD. She'd been given her position of leadership, because she was able to speak with a level of finality it took big, strong men decades to develop.

Four FBI Agents and two LAPD Detectives spent the next two hours going over everything about the case with Matt and Emily. Lia was charged with Shirley Higgins, as they were convinced the key to finding Kyle, alive or dead, was to find Shirley. The detectives had been very thorough, so their notes prevented a lot of overlap of minor questions, fortunately. But, where the day of and days preceding Hanna's kidnapping had been traced over backwards and forwards, the day of the negotiation with Shirley Higgins was fresh. They went over the file, listened to the tape of the negotiation and the tape of the interview, and analyzed the transcripts and every word uttered by Shirley and Emily.

Finally Lia handed them a stack of paper with a fax cover sheet on top; Cheryl had gotten them to release Michael Higgins's file. She'd already given them a tape of the call an hour and a half ago, though they had yet to play it.

"Thanks Lia. Any luck finding Shirley Higgins?" Temple was getting tired, was stressed already, but couldn't stop now that they had hope of finding Hanna.

"Her brother put her in a mental institution, I've found it, but I'm not sure that she's still there. I was about to call them, I'll let you know." She nodded a goodbye, and hurried back to her desk.

"We're going to go find Cheryl," Matt informed the group, taking Emily's hand and leading them both out.

They found their supervisor and longtime friend hunkered down in her office, looking like she was fighting off a headache, unsuccessfully. Matt knocked softly on the inside of the door, Cheryl looked up and actually smiled, waving them in.

"Alright, truth now, how are you two holding up?" She received noncommittal shrugs, but she hadn't expected anything more.

"I figured, and I would offer to send you home, but I know you wouldn't go. So, in the meantime, Duff took a tech over to you house to wire your phone for tap and trace. He calls, you push a button, it's automatically routed to Lia. Already done to your desk phones, and they just finished with your cells, so you can have those back." She handed the devices back to them, waiting silently for several minutes for them to ask questions. They didn't.

"Hanna's face is still in the press, so he takes her out anywhere, someone will see her and report the tip in. The lines are still open. We're going to find her, and get her back to you. I promise. If you need anything, you know you can come to me. Anything." She stared right into their eyes as she made her promises, meaning every word of them.

"Thanks," Matt answered softly.

"Thank you, Cheryl. Really, it means a lot." Emily nodded; it meant a lot that even as the world, the cops, and press had turned on her, her friends still stood behind her.

Lia suddenly appeared at Cheryl's office door, looking distressed, wringing her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she told them. "Shirley Higgins is dead. She killed herself."

* * *

_Thank you for reading, and thank you to the people who have reviewed!_


	6. Chapter 6

Emily resisted the urge to dissolve into tears. Shirley was dead, and took with her the secret to her son's disappearance, and the hope of getting Hanna back alive. There was no doubt left in her, Shirley had killed her son, and then took her own life, unable to deal with the guilt. She felt Matt squeeze her hand, but barely comprehended it, staring blankly in shock. "When did this happen, Lia?" Cheryl struggled not to show any emotion. God, what a mess this woman created. "A month ago. A nurse at the institution she was in found her, she'd broken a mirror and cut her throat. It was a mess, they said her brother was devastated." There was no doubt about that for the trio, the man kidnapped an innocent child.

"Okay, Lia get me Frank and Duff, and send in everyone on the case. No wait, my office isn't that big, send Frank and Duff into the workroom, we'll meet them there." She go up, and waved Matt and Emily to follow her. They were going to have to find KyleHiggins the old fashioned way--pure investigative abilities.Cheryl knocked quickly before interrupting their third run through the ransom call, as unsuccessful as the first two. She repeated Lia's announcement about Shirley, and announced they were going to switch tactics just as Frank and Duff shuffled in, looking worried. She repeated the information to them. " Mason and Sturgeon, I would like you to locate some LAPD officers with cadaver dogs and sweep through ShirleyHiggins's old building and neighborhood. Agent Gonzalez will assist you. Robins, Flannery, and Lehman, you are going to go over to this institution and exam any personal effects Shirley left behind and speak with her doctor. Frank please accompany them. Cybil, Binder and Temple, continue analyzing whatever you have here. Everyone clear?" There was nods all around, and everyone began shifting and rising from their seats, off to follow orders. Cheryl turned to leave, and was stopped by Frank and Duff as she walked out the door. "Uh, I don't see us being much help, Cheryl." Frank told her uneasily. "You are support for Matt and Emily, I want someone I can trust with them. And Duff, I don't trust the LAPD, I need you watching them." They nodded in understanding now, and hurried back into the room to their charges. 

"Are you okay with this?" Matt asked Emily, pulling her over to a corner,running his hands up and down her arms,soothing her.

"Yeah, anything to findher." Emily offered a tired, stretch of a smile.

Matt pulled her close and held her, needing to feel her close as much as she needed him. Hanna was really alive, and they had to believe they could get her back. They couldn't lose their baby girl twice, they wouldn't survive it.

* * *

Duff waited while Mason and Sturgeon made calls, rounding up every cop with a cadaver dogavailable. He volunteered to drive, while the duo made their phone calls, explaining their request to their boss. They still weren't thrilled the FBI had taken the reigns from them, but they'd suck it up and dowhat they could. At least this kept them on the case, and it wasn't as if Cheryl had asked them to push paper or babysit a witness. What they were doing was important, and may just provide asolution to this thing. 

Two large van-type vehicles drove up, two cops in the front seat of each, their canine partners inlarge wire cagesin the back. Four teams was the best they coulddo, and all things considered that wasn't a bad number to work with. Duff stood back, and allowed the cops to talk to each other, exchanging greetings, gettingbriefed on the situation. They didn't seempleased that their bodyhad been rotting for going on five years. Never the less, the cops shrugged, and released their eager four-legged partners from their cages. 

Four German Sheppards padded happily around their handlers, saliva-coated tongues dangling from their mouths. They nipped and pawed at each other, happy to be free, and apparently familiar with each other. Their handlers leashed them, and two took off toward Duff. He stroked their heads, and scratched behind their ears, making the animals even happier. A few well chosen words by their partners, and the dogs ran back to their handlers. Duff watched them calmly, amused by the thought that if Matt had been here, he'd probably be pissing himself. Only grown man Duff ever met that was afraid of dogs.

Mason and Sturgeon exchanged a few suggestions with the cops, and two took off for the building, Mason leading them, hoping they wouldn't need a warrant. The other two left with Sturgeon to survey the area surrounding the sad-looking building. It was large, brown-grey with small windows, and the trimmed lawn was still scraggily looking. At least it looked clean, if not prison-like. He followed Mason's team inside, and to the super's apartment. He fit the building all too well. Over-weight, balding, sweat-strain t-shirt, and shorts hanging too low. 

"Yeah, what?" He eyed the four men and two dogs wearily.

"We're with the LAPD, we'd like to conduct a search of the basement, and 

apartment 5F with these cadaver dogs. We won't touch anything, just want to let them sniff around." The three cops opened their IDs and displayed their shields.

"I'm BobNewhart, and the basement is fine. But, MaxPeters is going to have to give you the okay on his apartment...What about him, you have an ID?" Newhart nodded toward Duff.

"Yes sir, FBI." Duff showed his own gold badge."

"FBI too? What'd Max do?" 

"Nothing, it's a previous tenant we're interested in." 

"Alright, I'll take you up first, then we'll go see the basement. Max should be around, he doesn't have class until later." Newhart was surprisingly cooperative, and all six figures followed him eagerly into the elevator.

* * *

"Agents Robins, Flannery, Lehman, and Rogers, Mr.Archibald, we'd like to talk to you about ShirleyHiggins." Robins introduced all of them, as they took out their IDs to show him. 

" Shirley is dead, what can you possibly need?" HenryArchibald, administrator of SeasidePsychiatric Hospital was clearly flustered by the presence of four FBI agents in his office. They were counting on that, lacking a warrant as they were.

"We're investigating the disappearance of Shirley's child, KyleHiggins, he waseight months old."

"Yes, I'm familiar with that, that's what put poor Shirley here, she couldn't get passed it...uh, we still have her personal effects in storage, Michael couldn't bring himself to pick them up. You're welcome to look at them, and I'll make Dr.Hoffell available, but you understand, it's her decision to break privilege, and I'll stand by it." 

"Thank you, Mr.Archibald. We appreciate that." The quartet followed him to a conference room, and waited in silence for nearly fifteen minutes. A teenage boy with sandy brown hair that fell in his eyes stumbled in and dropped a cardboard box on the table. He stumbled back out as a woman in her early thirties came in, looking none too pleased about being there. Her mass of brown hair was twisted in a bun on the back of her head, designer frames sat on her face, her black jacket was open over her shiny lilac blouse and black pencil skirt. She sat down, holding a file and yellow legal pad, and waited silently.

" Dr.Hoffell?" Emily asked tentatively.

"That's me, what can I do for the FBI?" Oh no, she wasn't hostile, not at all.

"We're investigating--" The good doctor cut Matt off as he tried to speak.

" Kyle, Shirley's son, so I've been told. What Shirley told me is protected by privilege." 

"We understand, but with all due respect, Shirley is dead. You're aren't legally bound to honor privilege after a patient's death." Emily remembered Ethics 101, they drilled it in hard enough.

"I'm aware of that. But, I chose not to break it without a warrant." Three men shifted uncomfortably, one woman got angry. 

"Do you have children, Dr.Hoffell?" Emily maintained her calm outwardly, but the doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, I have two boys, five and eight." Emily nodded, while her colleagues watched curiously. She pulled a picture from behind her ID, and laid it before Dr.Hoffell.

"That's my daughter, her name is Hanna, she just turned two. She wasn't home for her birthday...we had a party planned for her." Emily stopped, swallowing and breathing with some difficulty. Dr.Hoffell picked up the picture, and studied the little girl.

"Oh my god, this is the little girl all over the news! She's been missing what? Two weeks?" Now that she thought about it, the woman looked familiar too, though she was usually crying in news reports. She surveyed the other agents, and sure enough, the black-haired man was familiar too, and judging by how close he was sitting to the woman, he must be the girl's father.

"We found her crib empty two weeks ago this morning. Today we got a phone call from MichaelHiggins, he has her, she's still alive, and he'll kill her unless we find KyleHiggins. Now, you look at my baby girl, and then you tell me you refuse to break privilege." The doctor looked from the photo to Emily, and her resolve seemed to crumble.

"Alright, let me go get the rest of my notes." She hurried out, thinking about her boys and what she'd do if someone kidnapped and threaten to kill one. GayleHoffell would destroy anyone who stood between her and her child, no doubt about it.

* * *

Duff, Mason and Sturgeon walked tiredly toward Duff's SUV, the dogs and their handlers were already at their vans, getting loaded back up. They hadn't found anything, the dogs didn't smell rotting flesh anywhere in the building. They did find a dead homeless man in an alley, he was old, likely suffered a heart attack. And, the two dogs inside got very excited when Max, a very scared college junior with a hidden stash of pot, wet himself. But, there was no trace that an eight month-old baby boy had been rotting away in the building for the last five years. 

"Gozalez." Duff pulled his phone out, and answered without checking the caller ID.

"Duff, it's Frank, you have any luck?" Frank's voice came out sounding pressed, almost urgent.

"No, dogs didn't find anything, literally sacred the piss out of this kid though. How about your end?" 

"Maybe, Cheryl requisitioned a ground scanner, can you wait there for it. We're on our way." 

"Sure, we'll be here."

"Oh, uh the dogs gone yet?" Frank whispered it quietly, so Matt wouldn't hear, he just be embarrassed.

"On their way out, they'll be long gone before you get there." Duff watched one of the vans drive off even as he answered.

"Good, we're saddling up now. See you soon." Frank closed his phone, and buckled in, checking his passengers were in and buckled before pulling out of the asylum's parking lot. 

Mason and Sturgeon weren't thrilled they had to hang around waiting, but were growing accustomed to following FBI-issued orders, and settled for parking themselves in the SUV, where Duff was running the AC. 

As it turned out, the wait for the ground scanner and it's operators wasn't a very long one anyway. A large truck lumbered up behind them, and two skinny, bespeckled techs jumped out, and greeted them. Duff was briefly amused; these two dorky-looking dudes were going to operate the massive machine? 

A black SUV pulled up behind the squarish truck just as the two men were lowering the expensive machine to the ground. Frank and Robins jumped out from the front, Matt and Emily climbed out from the back. The materials on ShirleyHiggins were in two boxes in the trunk, already having proven useful.

" Frank, man what are we doing?" Duff ran up to his friends.

"We're thinking she buried him in the basement. The building was being renovated in parts around the time, so we think it's worth a look." Frank turned to observe the device. The skinny techs wheeled it into the building, careful to keep it from bumping anything, and into the elevator. Everyone took the stairs to the basement.

They stood in front of the screen where one of the techs was tinkering with controls, while the other one slowly guided the machine over the room. The monitor showed mildly uneven grey, only the dark spots moving gave any indication the machine was moving. The hum of the machine lulled them, and in the end it didn't take long to cover the room. They all watched with the same cold disappointment in their guts as the last patch of grey passed over the screen. There was no small mound underneath the concrete. Kyle wasn't buried in or near the building, that much became certain. 

Matt tightened his arm around Emily, and both ignored the looks of sympathy their friends were shooting at them. They had to find Kyle, if they didn't find Kyle, they would be forced to search for another tiny body, and neither could handle finding that. 

Emily searched for Matt's hand, grasping it securely in her own, while she ran over phrases in her mind. Phrases Shirley had used when asked about her son. He was hidden, safe. He was covered, sleeping securely, hush hush. Covered. Sleeping. She'd thought they meant he was dead and buried. They'd all thought she meant that. What had they missed? 

He was safe. From Shirley herself? No, Shirley wasn't protecting Kyle. Shirley had talked about him needing a mother's care, which she couldn't give, because she didn't love him. She'd said, "she'd love him, she'd take care of him." What did that mean? 

"Oh my god." Suddenly all attention was on Emily, her eyes were wide. She'd just figured out what it meant.

"I know where she'd buried him."


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you serious?" Frank gasped, as the group looked at Emily in horror. 

" Shirley's mother died when she was eleven, she never got past that. You can tell by what she said to the shrink. She was very close to her mother, still views her like a little girl would: a nurturer, a protector, who could love Kyle when Shirley herself can't. He won't be in the coffin with her, Shirley doesn't have the strength to dig that deep or open the coffin. He'll be about one or two feet below the surface, wrapped blankets, maybe even with a stuffed animal." Emily was absolutely sure of it, and studying Dr.Hoffell's notes on Shirley again, she knew it, felt it. 

"Okay, let's saddle up. Someone call Lia, and find out which cemetery." Frank wasn't going to argue with her, not while she was in shrink mode. 

Duff gladly got on the phone with his fiancée, and asked her to look up the information. One of the perks of his job, he had a built in excuse to call her, pretty much whenever he wanted. She sounded tired and worried, but then they were all tired, it was already getting dark. He explained what was going on, and Lia was as horrified as the rest of them; a woman killing her baby and burying him at her mother's grave? It was a disturbing thought. 

"Carleena Higgins is buried beside her husband Thomas in Fairfield. Cheryl's getting on the phone with the manager now to clear this with him." Duff hung up and announced the name of the cemetery, jumping into his SUV, and everyone else copied him. Duff had the directions from Lia, and led the way, glancing at the sky with a shiver. By the time they got there it would be dark, how nice. 

The manager of the cemetery wasn't thrilled, but the idea that an infant was buried illegally in one of his plots ceased all argument. He didn't hang around to watch, but left his groundskeeper to observe and report back when it was all over. No way did he want to see a rotting baby corpse. 

The group stood by two uniformed LAPD officers thrust shovels into the ground, and pulled up clumps of dirt, tossing them to an ever growing pile. They all felt like ghouls, as the peaceful grass covered grave was destroyed. The uniforms hadn't gotten much past a foot deep when one of their shovels thudded into something. Something hard, and as they dug more delicately, they could tell cardboard. The two cops gently pried the box from the ground, and laid it in front of the medical examiner, who'd arrived only moments ago. 

It was a white box, with black and maroon writing, and a picture of a bagelin the warm, orange-yellowglowof a toaster-oven. Even under the dirt and rot, it was easy to make out the picture, and wave of nausea passed over the observers. The ME gently pried the lid open, releasing a pungent scent into the air. Death and decay permeated their nostrils, but it was stale, old, not as strong as if would have been four years ago. 

With his white gloved hands, he shifted the moldy blue blanket slightly, to reveal a largely skeletal face. Most of the tiny figure had decomposed in the box, leaving the skeleton with bits of rotted flesh. In the baby's yellowed jaw bones was a pacifier, dirty and slimy, but otherwise looking as it had five years ago. In his tiny rotting hands was a stuffed blue bear, filthy and degraded after years underground with a rotting corpse. He was dressed in baby blue rags, worn and rotting as his little body. 

They collectively backed away and attempted to control their sick stomachs. Emily, with Sturgeon's words echoing in her head, was picturing her own child in that box, and was unable to control her nausea. She backed away from the graves, and vomited at the base of a tree, tears in her eyes. Matt hurried over, and rubbed her back, pulling her close. 

"At least when he calls tomorrow you'll be able to tell him that we found Kyle," Duff tried to be positive. He and Frank had moved far away from the grave, toward their friends. Matt and Emily shared a nervous look, it wasn't that simple now. 

"We tell him that Kyle is dead, that Shirley killed him, and he'll kill Hanna," Matt explained. He may not be a shrink, but he new the behavior of the criminally insane. 

"It's not what he wants to hear. He wants Shirley to be innocent. He'll blame us for proving she's not." She didn't add that he'd kill Hanna to punish them, but she didn't need to.

"So, our only option is to find Hanna before he calls tomorrow." Frank commented, watching his two friends nod, surprisingly holding themselves together. 

"Then we better get to it." Without another word, he headed back to his SUV. The rest followed, there wasn't anything more they could do there. Robins thanked the two Uniforms, and gave the ME a number to call once he finished his exam, before hurrying to catch up with the others. Every person in the two SUVs knew that none of them would be sleeping tonight, not even a catnap. Hanna had to be found, and quickly.

* * *

"I already ranhim through a background check,only property he has is his house, and he can't hide a little girl there. The house was his parents, and that's all they owned. Cherylspoke to his boss in Vegas, Michael hasn't been in today. They sent two agents to his house, and nothing, he wasn't home, his car wasn't in the driveway. They say he has no girlfriend, but their still searching, sent Cheryl his file a couple hours ago." Lia rattled off everything that had happened since the seven people left. LAPD was still operating the tip-line, and following up any tip that seemed promising. Anything in Vegas or LA took priority. 

Mason and Sturgeon left to help with the tip-line, feeling they'd be more useful there, and unwilling to go home when an innocent child was still missing. Duffstayed with Lia in the IA room, to keep herawake while shecontinued digging into the history of the Higgins's and all theirrelatives, alive and dead. Frank went back down tobasement, to get volunteers to stay and help when they were needed. And, Matt, Emily, and Robins went back to the workroom to continue analyzing. Cheryl remained in her office, almost constantly on the phone. 

Lia flicked on a TVafter everyone left for the day, curious if the press had gotten the story yet. They'd all but been forgotten by everyone, including Matt and Emily, but she wanted to keep an eye out for more attacks on them. She listened absently, while her fingers danced frantically across her keyboard, pulling up records, files, photos,and documents of every sort that documented the Higgins' lives. It was yielding very littlenew or helpful. 

"Oh oh, they got it, Lia."Duffcommented, turning the volume up on the TV, so they could hear the news report. 

"We have breaking news on the HannaFlannery case from Jeanie Henderson, who's standing outside thefederal building downtown. Jeanie, what can you tell us?" The picture cut from the in Studio anchor, a man with dark brown hair, to a heavily made-up reporter standing in the street with her microphone. 

"Thanks Bob. Inside sources tell us that the focus of the investigation has shifted away from Hanna's parents, to the relative of an individual in a case when they were still partners. Our source has confirmed that Hanna was alive as of late this morning, and a search is underway for her. The source also confirmed the kidnapper made demands, which the Bureau is eagerly trying to meet. This comes after nearly a week of relentless accusations against Hanna's parents, more specifically her mother, Emily Lehman. We were only one of many news organizations to confirm the LAPD was looking at Ms.Lehman seriously as a suspect. Now it's clear neither she, nor Hanna's father, Matt Flannery, were involved in the little girl's disappearance. This must come as a relief to her parents..." Duff switched it to mute, cutting the reporter off. 

"A relief would be getting Hanna back. Idiots," he mumbled angrily. Lia ran a hand up and down his arm to calm him, they were all feeling a little hostile toward the press lately. 

* * *

The morning dawned with little progress, but many very tired people. The coffeemaker had been going all night long, and now Temple came back to the office, breakfast in his arms. He needed some air, and they needed to switch their coffee up a bit, or they'd never stay awake. A bag of Dunkin Donuts bagels, and two Boxes O' Joe, as they called them, complete with a few shots of espresso after Temple begged. 

Cheryl had gotten to put the phone down around midnight, thanking god normal people were in bed, and instead switched to helping with analysis. Lia had a dictionary's worth of pages printed on the Higginses, and was beginning to run out of information to track down. The table in the workroom was covered, literally in a layer of paper. The ME had sent his report twenty minutes ago, and Binder decided to wait until after they'd all eaten something to read off the findings. 

"Okay, male infant, aproximately 7-9 months, blue eyes, fine brown hair, nine little teeth in. Approximately 26 inches. According to Dr.Carmichael, he matches the most recent medical records of KyleJacobHiggins. Estimates death to be about five years ago. Due to the condition of the body COD is inconclusive, but he's betting from the lack of trauma to the bones and skull, either smothering or poisoning...Uh, he also says that, and given the way he was found, he says it's a safe bet a family member killed him, likely his mother." They could have determined that themselves, but it was nice to have confirmation. 

"Okay, so where does that leave us?" Cheryl asked them tiredly. 

"The same place we were before, we need to find Hanna before he calls." Matt ran a hand through his dark hair, disappointed and worried. 

"Then back to work, and let's find her." No one commented, they all just dived back into what they were doing. At least for the next two hours they did this, until the phone on Emily's desk began ringing shrilly. Shaking she walked over, and picked it up, hearing a voice on the other end, before she got a chance to speak. 

"Mommy?" Hanna's high little voice sounded so very sad. "Hey baby," Emily said softly, struggling not to cry, as Matt came to stand behind her, allowing her to lean against his chest. The room was silent as Lia began tracing and taping. 

"Mommy, home! I want home!" She cried into the receiver. 

"I know sweetie, real soon, I promise...are you okay? Has he hurt you?" Emily was scared to death the bastard had been abusing her daughter. If he had, god himself wouldn't be able to save him. 

"No, he nice. Now he mad. I want Mommy and Daddy." Emily heard a minor commotion on the other end, as he removed the phone from Hanna. 

"Well, did you find Kyle?" The same creepy, electronically altered voice as yesterday demanded. 

"No, we haven't found him yet. We need more time." She lied, adopting her negotiator mode, and turned to her friends and colleagues, what was she supposed to tell him. 

"And how much do you think you'll need?" He wasn't surprised, just unimpressed. 

"Another day. Another day and we'll be able to find him." Emily wiped at her eyes, still emotional after hearing her daughter's voice. 

"What makes you so sure you can find him?" Again, he seemed unaffected, curious if anything. 

"We have some good leads...and you haven't given us a choice. We'll find him." There was a long pause, and everyone held their breath through it, afraid he might have declined her proposal and simply decided to kill Hanna. 

"Fine, one more day. I'll call tomorrow." He hung up quickly, not giving her a chance to respond.Emily slumped into her chair, completely deflated. She bought them a day,one day to find Hanna. How they were going to accomplish that was anybody's guess. 

"No trace, sorry. I'm printing the recording to tape for you to analyze, should be about ten minutes." Lia came out of he IA room, looking crestfallen, Duff in tow looking just as disappointed. But, Lia took the failure personally, her skills just weren't good enough. 

The silence was staggering, almost suffocating in the room, Duff couldn't take it. He asked a question that had been on his mind since he read through the background the cops collected on Matt and Emily. 

"Matt, why do you have a shack in the desert outside Vegas?" As far as he knew, Matt didn't even like the desert, and had little interest in Vegas. 

"What?" Now it was Matt's turn to be confused. 

"In the background from the LAPD, they have a house listed under your name...why are you looking at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about?" 

"Because I don't. The only real estate in my name is our apartment. Maybe it's a different Matt Flannery?" Duff shrugged, and ran off to get the mentioned documents. 

"No, because it lists your apartment as your permanent address." This was getting very weird, Duff didn't like it one bit. Identity theft maybe? Matt looked puzzled for a while, before his face suddenly lit up with something like recognition. 

"When was it bought?" 

"Uh, about a month ago." Duff examined the papers. 

"Is there a fax number for the real estate agent?" He was on to something, but nobody could figure out what. Emily put a hand on his arm, sensing he was on to something, the rest watched with bated breath and confusion. 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Lia, get me a picture of Michael Higgins, and get ready to fax it to that number. Duff, give me the phone number for the office." People began catching on, but Cheryl got it first. 

"You think Higgins bought the house and used your name?" It was almost unbelievable. 

"Yeah. Genius don't you think? We wouldn't check under my name for his safe house." Matt was already dialing frantically. He spoke quickly to the man on the other end, and nodded to Lia to send the fax. 

"Is that the man you sold that house to?" Once again everyone in the room had stopped breathing, the excitement of a lead pulsing through their heads. Matt thanked him and hung up quickly. 

"It was Higgins. Cheryl we need a judge to sign a warrant, Hanna's in that house."

* * *

_So, this story will wrap up in another couple of chapters. Thanks for the reviews tjmack, and slplady!_


	8. Chapter 8

"Agents Rogers and Gonzalez, good to meet you. I see you brought your own cavalry?" Commander BuckMelburn, of Las Vegas PD SWAT greeted them skeptically.

"Yes, we're at your disposal. These men are as heavily trained as SWAT, probably more so." Frank was proud of his crew, who were actually there on a volunteer basis.

"I understand that you boys know the girl and herparents, can I trust you not to pull any cowboy shit in the field?" Last thing Buck needed was a bunch of Feds going rogue.

"No agent here would do anything that could endanger Hanna." Frank's eyes burned into Bucks, they were going in with LVPD SWAT, the case was federal now. But, this was their turf, they knew it, and Frank wanted what was best to get Hanna out safetly.

"Alright, I welcome the extra men. But, we do this, I need to know you'll respect my command, that your boys will respect my command."

"You have my word." At the moment, Frank wasn't trusting himself to make the right decisions; he wanted Hanna out, that was clouding things.

"Good, now tell me more about this situation we're looking at."

The two commanders spent the next hour plotting strategy, and waiting for night to fall. Frank got Lia to send them ablueprint of the house, and satellite map of the surrounding area. They would go in after in got dark, using the night as camouflage to hide them. This way he'd have as little time as possible tograb Hanna for a human shield. Theyhad it allset out, a foolproof plan that would keep Hanna safe, out of harm's way. But, Frank and Duff were figety, nervous for the first time since they were rookies. This had to go well, flawlessly, they had to bring Hanna home safely.

It felt like days passed before the sun began sinking below the horizon, but at the same time, it came all too quick. If they screwed up Hanna could die, and god knew, they couldn't live with that.

Buck called the order to saddle up, and their precession began down the street: two swat vans, three SUVs with HRT agents in them. All were wearing vests and helmets, and all were armed to the gills. MichaelHiggins was FBI, a negotiator, that means not only was he trained to use his issue handgun, but he was trained by HRT for assault situations. Buck had warned his men not to let their guard down for a minute 'on this one', they wouldn't take chances, but aim to kill. Only Duff was dressed differently, an important part of their plan.

They pulled over a half a mile down the road, in an area hidden by trees, and sat silently, while the last remnants of sunlight faded out. All two dozen men jumped out of the vehicles, adjusting gear for the last time before the assault. Duff shrugged in his brightly colored pizza delivery outfit, and nodded at Frank, taking the pie a SWAT member handed him. His vest and gun were hidden under the shirt, and in his head he practiced sounding like a kid who couldn't find a better job. One chance, that was all they got.

Silently and swiftly, SWAT and HRT moved through the largely deserted patch of desert. A half a dozen quietly usher people from their homes, the few occupied ones at least. It was a ghost town, with on street dotted by old, degrading shacks. The frightened people moved silently, unwilling to piss off these armed policemen. Four stayed with the civilians, while the other two joined their comrades in surrounding the small house. Two doors, one leading to a broken down porch, five windows at ground level. Frank took the back with a handful of men, others guarded the windows in pairs, and Buck and the remaining ones crouched low to the ground, on either side of the front of the house.

Duff waited patiently for the signal that they were all in place, before driving up in a borrowed sedan (from one of the unlucky civies), and waltzed out with his pizza. Like a dumb kid with a lousy job, he strutted to the door, and knocked on the front door. Careful not to look to either side, where he knew his comrades would be, he breathed and braced himself for his best performance.

"Yeah?" It was MichaelHiggins, Duff recognized his angry face from the photos they had. He seemed annoyed, and a bit confused by the sight of a pizza delivery man.

"I got your pie sir, a nice hot meat lovers, that'll be 15." Duff put on his best bad salesman act.

"I didn't order pizza." Higgins grew impatient, and threw a condescending look at Duff.

"What? Isn't this 104 Patterson Place?" Duff took on a puzzled look.

"It is, but there's a Pearson Place not far down the street, that's probably what you're looking for." Again the condescending look.

"Damn, they screwed up the address again. Sorry about that, man." Duff shook his head, annoyed and tired.

"Don't worry about it. Good Night." Higgins went to close the door, but Duff stopped him.

"Wait!" Higgins turned back around to find Duff's 33 semi-auto pointed at his chest.

"What the fuck!" Higgins growled, hands up.

"Don't move a muscle, or I will not hesitate to shoot," Duff warned him, voice suddenly deeper, deadlier. Buck's team was slowly inching to the front, but not quick enough.

Higgins reached out to grab something behind the door, and Duff shot twice, just as he'd been taught. Agents swarmed toward the front and back, coming in through windows, infesting the house. Frank led his team to look for Hanna, he trusted Duff to take care of himself.

There weren't many rooms in the house: a kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and den. No Hanna found in any of them. They searched cabinets and closest, which were all largely bare. The hangers and dresser drawers were empty, as if he'd already packed to leave. An old beige phone sat on the night table unplugged, the few dishes there were on the drying rack. Two duffel bags sat packed on the bed. Higgins was leaving his safe house, but why and for where they didn't know. It was possible he was getting ready to flee tomorrow after he got his answers.

Frank grabbed a bag and opened in, shifting aside clothes, searching for an hint. Higgins passport sat with a plane ticket to Cuba, leaving tomorrow evening. One ticket. He wasn't planning on taking Hanna with him, which meant either he was going to kill her, or give her back. Frank tossed the bag aside, and reached for the bigger one, which was heavier, and the zipper still opened a little. He tugged it down, and nearly fainted right there.

There was a little body inside, with red curls and duck pajamas. She looked like she could have been sleeping, he hoped to god she was just sleeping, but that didn't track with being stuffed inside a duffel bag. Frank reached in and pulled her out, holding the two year-old against his chest. She didn't wake up, didn't even stir.

* * *

Cheryl nodded, herheart still somewhere up inher throat, and hung upthe phone, bracing herself to make eye contact with Matt and Emily.They been waiting in prolonged fear since Frank and Duff left for Vegas; it felt like days to them, but it was still dark. They were still in LA, Cheryl hadn't wanted them to drive all the way there if Hanna was dead. If that proved to be the case, they'd be a mess, and it was better they fell apart in LA, their home, among friends. Of course, she'd told them something different to keep them where they were. She also wasn't even sure if they'd find Hanna out near Vegas.

"Temple, Binder, you're in charge today. I'll have my cell on if you need me." Any other day, she probably would have left Emily in charge, she was best suited, but Emily wasn't going to be around either. She turned to her friends, holding each other worriedly, bodies filled with tension.

"Cheryl? Hanna?" Matt breathed.

"They found her, she's alive, but unconscious. Frank is with her in the ambulance, they're going to a hospital called Desert Palm. I'll drive." She wished she could have given them a more definitive answer on their daughter's well being, but she wasn't able to just then.

Without a word, they followed her, stopping only to collect Lia, before all four trudged to the basement parking lot. Cheryl considered flying, it would quicker as far as actual travel time was concerned, but there was also the waiting for take off, and landing. There was the possibility of delays and needing to get a rental car, and a variety of hassles that could arise, so she got on the interstate, and headed out of town.

LA to Las Vegas is normally a four hour trip, but they made it in just under three and a half. Cheryl tossed her cell back on speaker so she could follow Frank's directions to the hospital. She'd been putting him on speaker periodically with updates on Hanna, if they could be considered updates. She wasn't awake yet, but the doctors had confidence they would. Higgins had been dosing her with cough syrup, going well over the prescribed dosage to put the little girl in a temporary coma. The doctors pumped her stomach to be on the safe side, and were waiting for what was already in her blood stream to pass.

Higgins was dead. The second ambulance was too late to save him, he bled out. They tried their best, even got him to the hospital still technically alive, then his heart stopped, and the doctors couldn't get it pumping again. Nobody cried over the loss.

Matt and Emily were practically out of the car before Cheryl even got it in park. They charged into through the double doors, and over to the receptionist, stating their names, and demanding quickly the location of the pediatric wing. The flustered nurse went as fast as she could, printing out sticky passes for them with Hanna's room number. Cheryl and Lia had caught up, and were getting a bit of a hard time from another receptionist. Matt explained the women were with them, they were actually family, thanks.

Pediatrics was on the third floor, a barrage of brightly colored pictures on the walls, and nurses in scrubs with little animals on them. They passed the room of children slowly dying from cancer, and the pediatric ICU with car accidents, abused kids, and victims of various other maladies. Finally, they reached a hallway of private rooms, and found Frank standing outside one. They rushed up, feeling as if their hearts would explode from their chests, they were beating so frantically.

Inside Hanna lay sleeping silently, her cubby baby face looking too young, too innocent for the hospital surroundings. The bed was small, with rails on either side to keep her from rolling out, but Hanna's tiny form was still dwarfed by it. They had her on an IV drip, pushing fluids and nutrients back into her body. Wires led from her body to the monitors above her head, carefully charting her pulse and blood pressure in steady waves. The walls had wallpaper on them; dogs and cats playing with colorful balls, chasing each other.

The tension left their bodies, she was alive and safe. Emily broke down, sobbing against Matt, holding him tightly. She thought she'd never see Hanna alive again, she'd thought her baby was gone forever. Matt put his arms around her, staring at his little girl, breathing and alive, unable to believe his eyes. He kissed Emily's head, and followed her lead, weeping, overwrought. Wordlessly, their friends left them to be with their child; they'd see Hanna later.

* * *

Two hours later, Matt and Emily were asleep by Hanna's bed. There was only one chair, so Emily was mostly in Matt's lap; a nurse had come in earlier to find them asleep and debated on getting another chair, but decided they looked comfortable enough. Hanna's vitals had been steady and normal, so her doctor wasn't worried. It was just a matter of time until Hanna woke up. Judging by the shear volume of cold medicine they found her in system after testing her blood, Higgins had been drugging the two year-old for a while. But again, they didn't feel he'd done any permanent damage.

Hanna Flannery blinked open her big brown eyes, startled by the bright white light, she shut them again quickly. Then her eyelids began to creep up again, her long dark lashes fluttering. She wasn't in the same place she had been, with that man who had been mean to her. She turned her head toward the curtained window, and then to the other side. A smile immediately broke out on her face, her mommy and daddy had finally come to get her. It took them soooo long to come, but she knew they would; Mommy said they missed her after all. She crawled out from under the blankets, a bit unsteady and caught off guard by the tubes and wires. They scared her, she didn't know what they were for. She sat back down, and stared at her parents, still asleep.

"Mommy? Mommy! Mommy!" She called, startling both parents awake.

Emily's eyes flew open at the familiar cry, and she jumped out of the chair, running over to the small hospital bed. Hanna was awake, and calling for her. It was true, she was really alright, really back with them. Emily scooped her up, and held her, maybe a bit too tightly. Hanna didn't seem to notice, her hands flew around Emily's neck, and she hugged her just as fiercely. Still a little shell-shocked, Matt smacked the call button, and ran to get a nurse.

Hanna was starting to get squirmy in Emily's tight grip when Matt came running back in with a nurse and a doctor. Emily reluctantly put Hanna back on the bed, and stepped away so the doctor and nurse could examine her. Everything checked out well, Hanna seemed to be just fine. The doctor ordered blood work, and said they send in some breakfast for Hanna in an hour.

After they left, Cheryl, Frank, Duff, and Lia walked in, excited to see Hanna awake and smiling. Matt was cuddling her then, holding the daughter that up until two days ago, he'd been convinced he'd never see again. There were tears in his eyes. Hanna again grew fidgety when she saw her aunts and uncles, excited by their presence.

The group took turns hugging their niece, who was enjoying the attention, but confused by it. Still, Hanna smiled and giggled, and didn't seem to realize that the six people squeezing her so tight had believed her dead for two weeks. Then the technician came in to take a blood sample from Hanna, make sure the cough medicine was really out of her system.

"Hello, I'm Gabby, and this must be Hanna," she beamed at the little girl, while pulling on her gloves and readying the needle. Matt and Emily both tensed, nervous about watching their baby get poked with a needle.

"Now, you must be mom, so why don't you hold her, while I do this, it will keep her calmer." Emily wearily moved closer and claimed her child, who clung to her, sensing something was wrong. Gabby motioned Emily to sit, on the edge of the bed, after lowering the railing, and laid Hanna's arm on her tray. Hanna began to squirm, very unhappy with what was going on.

"Hanna, it's okay baby. You've got to stop moving around, honey," Emily cooed to her.

"Uh Dad, you want to come here a minute?" Gabby motioned Matt over, who took Hanna's other tiny, little hand in both of his big ones.

"Actually, can you hold her arm?" Matt nodded, but looked very uncomfortable, as he placed just enough pressure to keep Hanna's chubby little arm still. Hanna began to whimper, something was clearly wrong in her mind.

"Shh, it's sweetie, it will be over before you know it," Emily soothed, already feeling guilty. The nurse plunged the needle in, and Hanna began screaming and crying, breaking every heart in the room.

"Mommy! Mommy!" She wailed pathetically. Emily looked away from her, but held her tight. She felt horrible.

"Daddy no! Daddy!" Hanna turned to Matt, who was already stroking her head affectionately, and trying not to feel like aterrible father.

Their friends watched the scene feeling pained, poor Hanna. But, it was her own good, and they were allrelieved when it was over. Thetech put a cotton ball and bandaid over her tiny red mark on the underside of her elbow, and Hanna quickly clung to Emily, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey Hanna, look at this. We got a little something for you," Frank cooed at her, holding up abrown stuff monkey in his hand, something they'dfound at the gift shop.

Hanna turned toward her uncle, and took theanimal, her tears already slowing to a crawl. She took it around it's middle, squeezing itin the process, so it let out a loud 'oooh oooing' noise. She giggled and pressed it again, smiling at the toy, forgetting quickly why she'd been crying. She hugged the toyto her chest, still smiling, much to the relief of her emotionally over-wrought parents.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh god, I don't think I can do this," Emily muttered, tightening her arms around Hanna. They'd been back in LA for a week, and Hanna hadn't left their sight. They'd stayed home from work, using vacation time to be with their daughter, and try and get over almost losing her. That…that was going to take some time. She'd slept in their bed with them all week, no way were they going to leave her alone in her crib again. At least, not until they were in their new home.

"I know, I know, I don't feel comfortable leaving her either, but I think we need to." This would be their first day back at work, and Hanna's first day back at daycare. They were both scared to death they'd leave her now, and when they came to pick her up she'd be gone.

Emily didn't say anything, just stood looking at the daycare wearily. Hanna had gottena clean bill of health from the doctors, on everything. Higgins had drugged her and held her prisoner, but he hadn't hurt her and he hadn't molested her. Even the shrink the hospital sent in said Hanna seemed fine, to keep an eye on her for strange behavior, and take her for counseling if she had a lot of nightmares.

"Em, the shrink in you knows if we don't do this, and keep being over-protective, Hanna is going to end up needing a shrink when she's older. I'd rather not do that to her." Matt had called one of the Bureau shrinks, and got a laundry list of negative effects over-protective parents have on their children. If not for that, he'd be as reluctant as Emily.

"You're right, we can't do that to her...I just keep seeing us going to pick her up, and she's gone again." Emily looked at him with fear and worry in her eyes. Matt reached out to her, feeling her trembling, pulling her close as he could with Hanna between them.

"It's going to be alright, okay? We'll call whenever we need to, and check on her." He already figured he'd be calling the daycare all day. Emily nodded her head against his neck, and turned back toward the daycare, feeling Hanna growing fidgety. They signed her in, stowed her little backpack, and handed her lunch box to one of the teachers; after kisses and hugs, they set a squealing Hanna loose. She'd missed her friends. Her teacher assured them that Hanna was safe with them, they'd even keep an extra eye on her. They'd been scared when she went missing too, and knew Matt and Emily couldn't have done it.

"Matt, don't let me turn around," Emily plead, tears already in her eyes as they walked across the parking lot. It was like dropping her off for the first time again, except that day, they'd left Hanna screaming and crying for them. Emily had sobbed all the way to work, and even begged Matt to go back. He hadn't, but god, he'd wanted to, the image of his baby crying for them too much for him.

Now he pulled her toward him, holding her still trembling figure in his arms. They managed to get to the car without incident, and Matt used all the self-control he possessed to keep it going toward work. He kept one hand in Emily's, but didn't speak until they were about ten minutes away from the office. Emily was still crying, but trying to stop.

"Would it be wrong to call as soon as we got to work?" Emily gave him a sad smile, and squeezed his leg. At least they'd have each other to suffer with.

* * *

They'd gotten through the last three days with Hanna at daycare with considerable difficulty. But, they'd gotten through them, and called the daycare less frequently each day. Today they'd called only twice to check on her, and she was, of course, just fine. Their next big step came tonight, letting Hanna sleep by herself again, in their new home. They'd gotten the last few things moved in, and were spending the first night in their new home.

They traded in their apartment for a house, as soon as they could. They weren't staying the apartment Hanna had been kidnapped from, neither could bear it. It was a small house in a nearly suburban area of the city, safe and family oriented, with a small fenced-in yard in the back, and a park down the street. Hanna's bedroom was right next door to theirs, and painted a light lavender. There was a living room, dining room, kitchen, and second bathroom on the ground level, and the basement was finished, so they had an office and adjoining playroom. There was even a third bedroom upstairs for...whatever. Emily had put her permanent birth control plans on hold for the time being.

Their close friends had helped them finish moving everything in, and tonight they'd spend their first night here. Hanna would be in her new room. Neither said anything, but both were nervous, and the baby monitor was on and ready to go. Now the two year-old was enjoying a slice of pizza, getting sauce and grease all over herself. Her aunts and uncles were cracking up watching her gobble it down messily, and her parents didn't even seem to mind. After nearly losing her,a little mess hardly mattered.

Emily gave Hanna a bath, and got her changed into her pajamas, so that Matt could read her a bedtime story. She pouted a little at first, realizing that she wouldn't get to sleep with her mommy and daddy, but soon settled, and fell asleep holding her stuffed dog against her chest. Matt and Emily each kissed her goodnight, and the retreated nervously from her bedroom.

This should be easier than leaving her at daycare for the day, but it wasn't, it was harder. Hanna had been taken while they slept, abducted from her crib in the middle of the night. How could they not worry? How could they not keep seeing her empty crib in their minds? They kept expecting her to disappear again, kept expecting that they were just dreaming that she was safe with them again.

They kept themselves busy until they got bone-tired: cleaning up, and unpacking the few boxes that hadn't yet been emptied.Yawning more than working, they finally crawled off to bed, returning their half of thebaby monitor to it's charger in the bedroom. No more chances, their new monitors sat comfortably on chargers as they worked. Matt shut off thelight, and spooned around his fiancée, molding their bodies together for the first time in over a week. They both laid awake awhile, still worried irrationally about Hanna, worried they'd get up and she'd be gone again.

* * *

Matt woke up first the next morning, as he had that morning over three weeks ago. Sun was spilling in through their new green curtains, there was a lot of light. He made a mental note to get a darker color, or thicker fabric. It was Saturday, and still earlier to be up, but he had to check something. He delicately moved himself from around Emily, pulling the blankets tighter around her body so she wouldn't sense the sudden decrease in heat. He stretched his body enough to get the morning stiffness out, and walked quickly and quietly to the lavender nursery.

He stopped outside the door and braced himself, trying to block out thoughts of the last time he'd done this. He pushed the door opened wider, and immediately let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a little head of curly red hair. He went over to the crib, and reached his hand in, stroking Hanna's head. Her hair was as soft as her mothers, her lips pouting in sleep; she slept on one chubby little cheek. The stuffed dog her Uncle Frank had bought for her was still under one arm, the stuffed monkey they got her at the hospital was sitting in a corner by her head.

Hanna was still there sleeping soundly and safely.

Matt returned to the bedroom, where matching curly red hair was the only thing visible past the sheets. He crawled back under the covers, wrapping his body back around hers, stroking her belly gently with his fingertips. She stirred, but didn't awaken. He pressed his lips to the back of her neck, trailing kisses along to her shoulder, then down to her collar bone. Emily's eyes fluttered open, and she brought his face closer to hers, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. But, she broke it after only a few seconds, a very short kiss for them. She needed to check on Hanna, even though she knew Matt already had, she had to see for herself.

She returned a few minutes, and Matt sat up at the sound of her footsteps, admiring the bright smile on her face.

"It's a relief, right?" There was definitely a release of tension for him, upon seeing Hanna in her crib.

"It's wonderful. Amazing really." Emily sat on the bed beside him, facing him, and pressed her mouth against his.

"Yeah, it is amazing," Matt broke the kiss smiling at her. He initiated another case, wrapping his arms around her waist as hers went around his neck. Emily lost her balance, went to straighten up, but then thought better of it, and sent them both falling back onto the bed. Matt certainly didn't mind.

He tugged gently on the thin little camisole she'd worn to bed, warning her before he pulled it up over her head. He decided to leave the matching sleep shorts-underwear things, he could never figure out what they were supposed to be, on for the time being. Emily leaned hard against him, shifting her body subtly and strategically, in just the right way to rub against where she needed too. He groaned. She giggled. In one swift move, he held her against him, and flipped them over, so he was leaning over her, enjoying his new vantage point.

They made love until they were both breathing hard, and feeling their pulses beating furiously in every vein in their bodies, utterly spent. Matt wrapped himself back around her, and Emily held his arm against her, allowing their bodies to calm down. Sleep took them again, but only for a couple of hours.

Hanna woke them, crying for them from her crib. Her little voice came distorted through the baby monitor, but they could hear her without it. Emily threw on a light robe, and went to get her, scooping her up from the crib, quieting her instantly. Matt came in behind her, wearing his pajamas of choice- boxers and a t-shirt. The man had more t-shirts than a Manhattan gift shop.

"It's ten-thirty. We have an hour and a half to get ready before everybody starts arriving."

"Get in the shower, I'll change her diaper and get her breakfast, then I'll shower and you can get her dressed." Emily instructed like a woman who'd been balancing a baby and a busy schedule for the two years she had. Matt kissed them both and tickled Hanna before marching off to the shower.

"We've got to start getting you on the potty." Emily had always heard two was a good time to try. She smiled at Hanna,who seemed completely disinterested. "What do you think Hanna, you want to try going on the potty today?"

"No potty." Hanna shook her head smiling; it was not the first time her parents mentioned the potty.

"Yes potty, soon. You know why?" She spoke in a soft voice, as she changed Hanna's soiled diaper.

"Noooo," Hanna answered, drawing out the 'o', her lips in a round little circle.

"Because Mommy and Daddy want to get married." Emily tickledthe toddler as she said it,knowing she wasn't going to get a realresponse anyway. Hanna was too young to understand that they couldn't leave her with her aunt for a week or two before she was potty-trained.

"You know why else you need to go on the potty?" She asked, eyes wide with excitement.

Hanna shook her head, one finger in her mouth.

"Big girls go on the potty, and you are getting to be a big girl." Hanna shook her head, grinning.

"No, I baby." Emily laughed at her. Yes, Hanna was still her baby, always would be.

"If you aren't becoming a big girl, then why are we having a party today?" They'd moved Hanna's aborted birthday party to today, they wanted to celebrate her life now more than ever.

"Cake!" Hanna yelped excitedly, causing her mother to laugh again as she put her on the floor.

"Cake is big girl food, not for babies. Are you a big girl?" Emily leaned close to her, and Hanna nodded silently.

"Well then, big girls go on the potty too." It didn't even phase Hanna.

"I potty! I potty!" Now she was suddenly a big girl, ready to potty train.

"Well that's good to hear. So, we'll try the potty tonight?" Hanna nodded excitedly; children were so easy to manipulate.

"Potty, potty," Hanna sang absently, as Emily led her into the kitchen for breakfast. Emily put Hanna in her high chair, and set a bowl of cheerios in front of her. Hanna could work a spoon pretty well by now, and Emily watched her daughter as she careful scooped out some milk and cereal and shoved the spoon eagerly in her mouth.

She was starting the coffeemaker when strong arms suddenly went around her waist, and hot breath hit her neck. She turned her head toward Matt, and met his lips for a quick peck. He didn't let her goyet, but turned her around to face him, and initiated a deeper kiss. Just a short one. Still not letting go, he turned them both toward Hanna. Unwilling to let Emily out of his arms yet, he felt her lean into him, as they watched their little girl eat her cheerios happily.

This was what it meant to be happy. This was bliss.

* * *

_This is the end of the story, thanks as always for reading and reviewing!_


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